Ivanka Trump 'Blindsided' By 'Viciousness' Her Father's Administration Has Faced
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Ivanka Trump opened up about her father's presidency, saying that she was "blindsided" by the "level of viciousness" and "ferocity" her father has faced since taking office.
The first daughter and special advisor to the president appeared on "Fox & Friends" Monday morning to promote her father's initiatives focusing on infrastructure and jobs.
"With all the noise, with all the intensity of the media coverage and obviously what makes headlines... ultimately we're really focused on why the American people elected Donald Trump as their president," Trump said.
As the investigations into Russian meddling in the election – and whether the Trump campaign played a part – continue, Trump said the administration remains focused on its agenda. But she admits it hasn't been easy.
"It is hard, and there is a level of viciousness that I was not expecting. I was not expecting the intensity of this experience, but this isn't supposed to be easy," she said. "My father and this administration intends to be transformative, and we want to do big, bold things and we're looking to change the status quo. So I didn't expect it to be easy. I think some of the distractions and some of the ferocity, I was a little blindsided by on a personal level. But for me, I'm just trying to keep my head down, not listen to the noise, and just work really hard to make a positive impact in the lives of many people."
While Trump said her father feels "vindicated" by former FBI Director James Comey's statements last week, the president is facing more challenges related to the Russia scandal. Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee are now pressing the president to reveal whether he has tapes of conversations with Comey. On Tuesday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions will face questions before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Trump also said her husband, Jared Kushner, who serves as senior adviser to the president loves his job and applauded his work on the president's first foreign trip.
"You saw the results of so much of his hard work on display in Saudi Arabia and in Israel and subsequently in Rome," she said. "But aside from what he's doing on the foreign policy front, also the various initiatives he's focused on at home, really thinking about modernizing and innovating within government."
Trump also addressed reports of infighting among Kushner and top White House officials.
"There is a 24-hour news cycle that gets fed by and is encouraged by lots of salacious details, but at the end of the day we're all focused on the work and that's very true for Jared," Trump said. "He's somebody who just likes to get things done, so he doesn't get involved in all of that."
